Brochure

4
HOW DOES A
MINI-SPLIT WORK?
This diagram shows a
typical high wall mount
installation:
nThe condensing unit is installed
outdoors while the air handler
is mounted inside on an exterior
wall. A hole approximately 3”
in diameter is drilled through
the wall. The lines that carry
refrigerant from the air handler
to the condensing unit and back
run through this hole.
nA communication wire runs
between the two components:
power is supplied by the
outdoor unit so there are no
cords and plugs visible on the
interior. A bracket mounted to
the wall supports the high wall
mount air handler.
nA drain line runs from the air
handler to the outside to carry
away condensate.
Ductless mini-splits can save you
money when it comes to adding
on to your house. If your current
HVAC system is correctly sized for
your existing structure, it may not
have the capacity to handle the new
square footage. Rather than
replacing the entire system, you
can cool and heat your new space
with a mini-split—and save the
cost of installing ductwork.
Cooling without Ductwork
A ductless mini-split air conditioner works the same way central air
conditioning does with one big difference—there’s no ductwork.
Both the central system and the mini-split can be classied as split systems
because they consist of an outdoor condensing unit and an indoor air
handler/evaporator. With a central A/C system, the indoor components
include a cooling coil and an air handler (the furnace’s blower or a separate
air handler) that circulate the conditioned air throughout the structure by
way of the ductwork.
The mini-split indoor unit functions as both the indoor coil and the air
handler, delivering conditioned air directly into a single room without
sending it through any ductwork.
Heat Pump Models
A heat pump mini-split operates in basically the same manner, but adds
heating capability. In the summer it transfers heat from inside the home to
the outdoors. A reversing valve makes it possible for the unit to reverse
this procedure during cold weather, absorbing heat from the outdoors and
transferring it indoors to warm the space (yes, there is warm air outside,
even when it’s below freezing).
Heat Gain/Loss
One of the advantages this “ductless” operation provides is efciency.
In a central system, the cooled air absorbs heat as it travels through the
ductwork. The longer the duct run, the greater the temperature gain. In
winter, heat can also be lost as the conditioned air travels through the ducts.
Don’t forget that it takes air pressure to move the conditioned air through
the ducting system and that involves some noise from the fan and the
actual movement of air. A mini-split system, however, is ultra-quiet because
it doesn’t have to push the warm or cool air through many feet of ductwork.